Week 12: That bloody Furby

We recognised that what we were making was very similar to a furby. We brought in a furby, played with it, analysed it, took note of it's inputs and outputs and used that to give us an idea into what to do.
Pushing a little tounge down continuously was feeding.
Stroking a set of back sensor button things made is like purr and be all happy
Pushing a tummy button quickly made it giggle because it was being tickled
Covering a sensor on the head made it sleep.
Tipping it upside down made it react but we're not sure what that was.
It speaks in a language called "furbish" and slowly you can teach it english by doing various things like repeating a sequence of actions of it's inputs then repeating a phrase. If anyone could even figure it out they just made it swear and say dirty things, which gives an indication that really people don't us things how you intend, and the only people old enough to figure it out were so old they could teach it rhymes with swear words in them.



But one thing is obvious: the damn thing is creepy as all hell, annoying and brings back not so fond childhood memories. I definitely grew up with these and for something so wildly popular I can't seem to find anyone who really liked it? I hear stories of (as children) people smashing these things up because they would just go off at midnight, babbling away in a creepy language. Others just confined them to a cupboard so deafen the noise until eventually giving up and taking the batteries out for good. I sold mine after a couple of weeks to a boy like 6 years older than me for $25 bucks. Selling it was a very happy day for me and for a young kid to be happy to part with a toy that's gotta say something right?

I sure you guys know about these things but here it is for your viewing pleasure:
(i think we were discussion who would have to take it home- nobody wanted to.)